South Korea fires shots to warn North fishing boat

Seoul: South Korea`s navy fired warning shots to drive away a North Korean fishing vessel that crossed their tense maritime border on Wednesday, the South`s military said.

Ties between the rival Koreas sank to their lowest level in decades after a South Korean navy ship was torpedoed in the same area off the west coast in March killing 46 sailors. Seoul accuses the North for the attack but Pyongyang denies it.

Ten shots were fired in warning after repeated loudspeaker broadcasts ordering the North Korean vessel to retreat, said an officer at South Korea`s office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It was not clear why the vessel crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) early on Wednesday and why it remained in southern waters for nearly two hours, the officer said.

North Korea disputes the sea border which was drawn by the United Nations Command at the end of 1950-53 Korean War.

The waters off the west coast have been the scene of deadly naval skirmishes in the past that have killed sailors on both sides.